How a VA Loan Helped One Family Pay for a Bigger Home—and Stay on the Road to Wealth

By the end of 2025, Barbara and Robbie McBroom which needs more than a new house. After the death of Robbie’s mother, the couple found themselves torn between two homes, caring for their niece while trying to manage grief, legal issues, and the costs of keeping two homes afloat.

When Barbara, aged 76, collapsed, the uncertainty of their situation became impossible. They needed one home where the family could live together.

Although it was necessary, the move seemed impossible. They needed to find a large house close to family, but they also needed to find a way to buy it in a market where even the most important moves could be hindered by high prices, limited savings, and high upfront costs.

Fortunately, the McBrooms had an edge: Because of Robbie’s service in the Navy, they were eligible for a Veterans Affairs loan.

At a time when barriers to affordability are delaying or derailing homeownership for many Americans, a VA loan can offer qualified buyers an alternative, with no required down payment and soft underwriting.

That’s not only important to buying a home, but also to staying on the wealth-building timeline a homeowner is embarking on, finds a new report from Realtor.com®.

McBrooms’ story shows what that might look like in practice: A family using one of the country’s most powerful housing benefits to make a needed move at a time when conventional lending might keep that move—and the security it provides—out of reach.

In today’s market, penetration is the hardest part

The same obstacles that made the McBrooms question whether they could buy in today’s market—such as limited savings and incomes that haven’t kept pace with housing prices—cause many younger house hunters to delay entering the market altogether.

Today, the average age of first-time buyers has reached 40, the highest number according to research from the National Association of Realtors®. That delay can have a significant impact on the ability to build wealth in the future, finds a report from Realtor.com.

Families who buy first have more time to build equity, benefit from price growth, and translate home ownership into higher value over time. Buying at age 32, for example, is associated with an average price of 22.5% more than age 50 than waiting another decade to buy.

The problem is that getting to that first line has become very difficult. Today, it takes about ten years to save a typical paycheck. In 1990, it took more than three years.

But VA loans can help compress that timeline by removing the hurdle of paying less—and that has a big impact on younger buyers.

Of the 10 metros where Gen Z and millennial homeowners are building multi-home wealth, five rank among the top 25 US cities for Veterans Affairs loans issued per capita, research from Realtor.com shows—underscoring what a powerful wealth-building tool VA loans can be.

In fact, this VA loan does exactly what it was designed to do: open up homeownership to a segment of young buyers who might otherwise be excluded. And with the market remaining punishingly tight, the affordability of VA loan offers also provides much-needed relief to older consumers on fixed incomes.

How a VA loan changed this family’s finances

The McBrooms were well past the “buy early” window and had their home. Still, they weren’t sure they could afford the big house their family suddenly needed.

“It’s scary when you sit there and look at the cost of housing these days,” Robbie told Realtor.com.

The couple lived on a fixed income from Social Security and VA disability. They had set aside some money, but most of that cushion was consumed as they were negotiating with two houses. They’ve also been denied loans in Oregon before, leaving them skeptical that another attempt will go anywhere.

Then Barbara’s fall forced the story.

“You actually go into it thinking, ‘Well, you’re not going to get it, but it’s worth a try,'” Robbie said.

He had one reason for hope: Robbie had used a VA loan years ago, and after repeatedly seeing ads for a VA loan provider, he urged Barbara to call.

“A VA loan is the best loan someone can have if they’re trying to buy a home, because there’s no down payment,” he said. Neil Brooksa real estate agent in the Phoenix area and a Navy veteran.

Removing that hurdle alone can free up money for closing costs or moving costs. VA loans may also offer a more affordable underwriting option than conventional loans, helping some buyers qualify otherwise.

At McBrooms, the difference was swift.

Barbara says they were pre-approved for $450,000 the same day they reached out to NewDay USA, a VA loan provider. Within a month, they had closed on a house big enough to bring the family back under one roof.

Home ownership creates wealth, but it also opens up space for family

“For young people, it’s about building wealth,” Brooks said of VA loan availability. “For adults, it’s about safety.”

It’s an important distinction, because the wealth-building power of owning a home is often under-discussed. Yes, it’s a story about appreciation, equity, and what a home might be worth one day. But it’s also about what ownership allows the family to do now: Pool resources, share care, and create a stable foundation for all generations.

It is hard to overstate the difference it has made to a family like the McBrooms. Their new home replaced two distressed homes with one. It gives their niece not only a bedroom, but also enough extra space for what Barbara describes as a man cave.

In other words, VA loans do more than make the numbers work on paper; it gave them a way to act when their family was in trouble.

“That was another good thing about the process,” Robbie said, “because that really depressed me about what was going on.”

And after months of hardship, it brought the couple closer to relatives at a time when illness, aging, and caregiving became central to everyday life.

That, too, is part of the story of intergenerational wealth.

A home is a valuable asset, but it is also a physical infrastructure that allows families to support each other. It can reduce the cost and chaos of living apart, make care more manageable, and create a stable place for multiple generations to meet, heal, and plan.

Shortly after the move, Barbara was able to spend time with her younger brother after he suffered a heart attack and other serious health problems. Family members gather in this new home to eat together—something that would have been very difficult in their previous living arrangements.

That kind of stability is part of how real estate creates wealth, too.

McBroom does not dispute that this market is easy. In fact, without the help of their VA lender, they don’t know what they would have done. But it is an important reminder for those who deserve it.

“Maybe,” said Robbie. “I think that’s something people need to know. It’s doable, and the process doesn’t have to be that difficult.”